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Albanian envoy to visit NMI
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Posted on Jul 23 2004
The Republic of Albania’s ambassador to the U.S. will visit the Northern Marianas as the first official from the European nation to come to the islands.
Dr. Fatos Tarifa, the ambassador, will be coming to Saipan from Washington DC with U.S. House Rep. David Funderburk in early October.
Tarifa confirmed his trip to the islands in a letter to CNMI House Speaker Benigno R. Fitial, who invited the ambassador.
“As the very first Albanian representative to visit the CNMI, it is especially noteworthy and gratifying to have this opportunity to represent my country of Albania as its ambassador to the U.S. while visiting your strategic U.S. territory in the Pacific,” Tarifa told Fitial.
Tarifa’s itinerary during the visit will include the CNMI Legislature, a wreath-laying at the World War II Soldier Memorial Monuments, and a flight to Tinian to see the WWII runways.
The recent commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Battles of Saipan and Tinian put the islands in the limelight, with Paul Tibbets, the man who flew the plane that who dropped the atomic bomb in Hiroshima during WWII, visiting the islands along with other war veterans.
The ambassador will also visit the Northern Marianas College, where he will speak before students. (John Ravelo)
